There’s a river that flows through Perth – the Swan – and although you often see it from bridges or when taking ferries across it, you really don’t notice how beautiful it is until you catch the view of it from Aloft Perth. Our room on the eighteenth floor offered glorious images of the Swan snaking toward the remote mining towns out east. When we brought Jordan G over to shoot here, he had to pause to appreciate the view, and to say, “Wow, I didn’t realise how beautiful this city was before.”

Of course he also couldn’t help but remark at the gorgeousness of the hotel as well. Part of the W brand, Alofts pride themselves on attention to design and commitment to hosting quality leisure spaces, which at Aloft Perth includes the atmospheric W XYZ bar, the contemporary-casual Springs Kitchen, a well-equipped gym, pool and yoga studio, and the next-door Humblebee Coffee with its perfect exemplar of Australia’s famous coffee culture. Just like its W cousin, the Aloft is sexy and luxe, but also accessible, a perfect combination of comfort and cool.

Every morning of our shoot week in Perth began with a perfect brekkie (Aussies often spell it ‘brekky’, but I refuse to do that). Not only was the food and coffee superb, but the entire north wall is parted in the morning to let the cool breeze in, making you feel like you’re at a holiday resort rather than in the middle of a big city. Breakfasts here were definitely a highlight, but probably my favourite memory was when visiting the penthouse event space to shoot Jordan, where we stumbled across a wedding reception being set up. It was for an older gay couple who’d been together for over forty years but who never had been able to make it official until Australia recently passed same-sex marriage legislation. It is just such a beautiful feeling to witness this joy and pride, watching so many couples finally able to step out fully as themselves and declare their love openly. I can’t think of a more special location in Perth to celebrate this love than here.